Journal article
Torn between two worlds: COVID, it's your fault
International journal of intercultural relations, Vol.89, pp.100-110
07/2022
PMID: 35755424
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global reach, impacting each one of us to varying degrees. Research is emerging on the medical, educational, social, and psychological effects of this pandemic; however, little has appeared yet on the impact on immigrant acculturation. We are six higher education immigrant academics in New Zealand and our collaborative autoethnographic study reports on the disruption to our immigrant selves caused by COVID-19. We present findings from our narratives written at two different times: a reflection after the initial eight-week New Zealand lockdown from March to May 2020, and a second meta-reflection one year later. We also illustrate, in graph form, our perceived stress levels associated with being immigrants during COVID-19. The narratives describe strong emotions linked to transnational connections that bound us to loved ones at home in COVID-ravaged countries. While we describe a stronger sense of belonging to our new society, we also identify COVID-19 as a disruptor and interrupter of the acculturation process regardless of our length of settlement in New Zealand. We argue that the increased stress of COVID-19 has triggered an interruption or oscillation that has disrupted our acculturation trajectories, surfacing emotions of acculturative stress even for those well adapted to their new society. These findings may resonate with immigrants in similar contexts and circumstances.
Details
- Title
- Torn between two worlds: COVID, it's your fault
- Creators
- Lyn Lewis - Auckland University of TechnologyParisa Tadi - Auckland University of TechnologyAnienie Veldsman - Auckland University of TechnologyJyoti Jhagroo - Auckland University of TechnologyCeleste Harrington - Auckland University of TechnologyMartha McFaul - Auckland University of Technology
- Publication Details
- International journal of intercultural relations, Vol.89, pp.100-110
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991013317525802368
- Copyright
- © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article